Film: Tarak; Director: Prakash Jayaram; Cast: Darshan, Devaraj, Sruthi Hariharan, Shanvi Srivastava
Darshan is no doubt the darling of the masses, but there is no denying his talent in acting. With Tarak, he takes a step away from his ‘mass’ films and a step closer to ‘class’ audiences. Director Prakash Jayaram, who has a good track record when it comes to making family dramas, has attempted a challenge of telling the story with a star and
Darshan fits right in, and so do the others. Tarak’s story is an illustration of the saying ‘Blood is thicker than water’. Tarakram (Darshan) who is affectionately called Tarak was born and raised outside India, but remains rooted to this country. However, an unpleasant incident in his childhood causes him to develop an aversion towards visiting India and meeting his grandfather (Devaraj), whose name is also Tarakram. The latter’s only dream is to see his grandson, and lives in that hope.
Younger Tarak accidentally bumps into Meera (Shanv Srivastavai) an NRI, who loves everything about India. Though, she comes across as flighty in the beginning, she later catches his interest with her good deeds. There is love in the air, but it is cut short because Meera sets certain conditions. This leads Tarak to visit India thus fullfilling his grandfather’s wish.
Here he meets his extended family and Sneha (Sruthi Hariharan) a gardener’s daughter. Tarak, who had not forgiven his grandfather, slowly starts bonding with him and treats him like a friend. Tarak is thrown a curveball when his grandfather asks him to marry Sneha. Will he will prioritise love over family or will he manage to strike a balance is the last 20 minutes of the movie. His decision is inspiring and has to be experienced in theatres.
Prakash changes his style of filmmaking with the actors he is working with, but he has always believed in the pull of family dramas. He favours this genre also because it sells ten tickets instead of one.
Prakash, who has chosen to weave elements of Indian culture into the NRI life, has spend generously on the presentation -- particularly with the locations and the styling of characters.
He has not changed his signature style, except for one or two action scenes. But, even roping in a star or a mass hero for a family drama would itself have been challenging for the director, and he has done well with it to an extent.
The film is slow in parts and the second half is where the drama sets in. This moving story is well told but the comedy could have been better handled.
There are times when a director tailors a film for a star but, in Tarak, Darshan remains a director’s actor. Script guides the movie and it has given the actor an opportunity to try another style of acting, and connect with ‘class’ audiences. Rarely do we see a mass hero asked to emote extensively but Darshan wins over the audience with this one.
Both Sruthi and Shanvi have meaty roles and they have levelled up their performances. Shanvi plays a character with many shades and seems like her best to date. Sruthi, as usual, plays a firebrand and does it well.
Devaraj, who plays Darshan’s grandfather, also stands out. The background music has been scored well by Arjun Janya, with melodic and peppy songs, and a good background score. Cinematographer AV Krishna Kumar has also presented a grand experience with his picturisation.
Family drama is a genre that never fails. Stories might seem familiar but they are refreshingly engaging. With Tarak, Darshan has reinvented himself with a class image and he hopes it will pull his fans and their families.
Rating: 3.5/5